64 Better-For-You Chicken Recipes That Are Unexpectedly Good (2024)

When a sizzling plate of fajitas goes by you, it’s impossible to ignore. The signature smell, the trail of steam—this classic Tex-Mex dish is a showstopper. As iconic as they are when ordered out, fajitas are ridiculously easy to make at home, just how you like them.

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Meal prepping doesn’t need to be complicated, and these chicken shawarma bowls prove that. The longest step in the recipe is to let the chicken marinate, which allows you time to cut all your veggies. Win!

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Here, spaghetti squash is stuffed with chicken breasts and creamy homemade Alfredo sauce before being topped with shredded mozzarella, and baked until bubbly, melty, and golden. The result is a hearty dinner that's low-carb, but doesn't sacrifice on any of the flavor.

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While far from being authentic, these Americanized tacos load up corn tortillas with seasoned chicken and all the best toppings. Pair with a skinny margarita, and your Taco Tuesday (or Wednesday, or Thursday…) will be more than complete.

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A stir fry is our go-to weeknight dinner when we just don’t have the energy to spend a long time in the kitchen—this recipe is no exception. Make it as is for our best-ever version, then use it as a jumping-off point to create your own.

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This air-fried version is just as delicious and savory-sweet as the original orange chicken without the added effort or calories. Typically deep- or pan-fried in oil, this orange chicken recipe saves a ton of calories, fat, AND effort. Serve it over rice, whole grains, or some air-fried veggies.

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This sheet-pan dinner is our newest fave: Bone-in chicken thighs, baby potatoes, broccoli, and red onion are all tossed in a simple za’atar marinade, then roasted to perfection. To kick it up another notch, we’re drizzling it all in a creamy tahini sauce to finish it off. 😍

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This absurdly easy cashew chicken only takes 30 minutes from start to finish (yep!), and the delicious sauce has only five ingredients. You literally can't beat that for a low-carb dish!

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This easy-as-can-be weeknight dinner is a complete meal made on one sheet pan. Bonus: If you roast the sweet potatoes as indicated, your gift = creamy centers and crispy edges, enhanced by jammy red onions. Using bone-in thighs pretty much guarantees super-tender chicken too!

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A chicken Caesar is one of the all-time best salads, so turning it into a wrap is a no-brainer. It’s simple yet timeless, like many of our favorite recipes are.

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Pull out some frozen chicken, riced cauliflower, a bottle of salsa verde, plus a block of cheese, and you’re ready to make a low-key low-carb dinner. Bonus: You can whip this up in just 25 minutes—seriously.

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If our creamy Tuscan chicken is a mainstay at your house, this recipe is going to be just the thing to shake up your weeknight dinner routine. We paired quick-cooking chicken cutlets with a spicy-sweet coconut milk sauce that’s out-of-this-world tasty.

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If you have leftover rice hanging out in your fridge, then classic fried rice is a no-brainer. There are countless ways to bulk up this staple dinner, from beef fried rice to kimchi fried rice to pineapple fried rice. One of our favorite variations? Classic chicken fried rice.

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Classic chicken noodle soup is already pretty good for you, but we made this even healthier by loading it up with lots of kale, using low-sodium broth, and opting for boneless skinless chicken breast. We also used gluten-free noodles, but classic egg noodles would be more than fine here.

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An ideal combination of spice, sweetness, and tang makes this skillet dinner taste like it took much longer than 45 minutes to prepare. Here, chickpeas are coated in a mahogany-hued sauce and caramelized under juicy, seared chicken thighs, resulting in a decadent, protein-packed dinner.

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When we're sick, or hungover, or we've just eaten WAY too much junk, we always crave a simple and satisfying chicken noodle soup. Packed with veggies and protein (and cauliflower rice instead of noodles in this recipe), this one's exactly what we need to get us back on track.

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This one-pan meal is one of our most frequented weeknight dinners. What's not to love? It's healthy, easy, and the sauce is a knockout. Swap out the veggies for whatever's in season—broccoli, peppers, whatever you like!

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While we’re all about switching things up, when we want a tried-and-true perfect meal, we always go back to the Chipotle chicken burrito bowl. It’s classic, reliable, and, best of all, completely customizable. No corn salsa? Extra guac? At home, you can have it all!

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To make a keto-friendly fried chicken we skipped the flour and breaded them in pork rinds, almond flour, and Parmesan. We also baked this chicken to skip all of the unnecessary oil—trust us, you would swear these were fried.

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A good sauce changes everything, and this green goddess dressing is one of our favorites yet. The veggies here are interchangeable, but in the spirit of goddess dressing, we think green is the way to go. Roasted asparagus, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are all good choices.

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